One Liners – 8th August || Current Affairs

• UK has rejected India’s request to ban a pro-khalistan event in London to be held later this month. The UK said that people in the country have the right to gather and demonstrate their views, provided it is done within the law.

• In a bid to end the taxi issue in Goa, the state government has launched its own app-based taxi service titled ‘GoaMiles’. These taxis will charge government approved rates.

• The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare today confirmed that there is a decline in HIV cases overall in India whereas there is an increase of HIV cases in 3 North Eastern states Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura.

• The President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, inaugurated the ‘Festival of Democracy’ in Thiruvananthapuram to mark the conclusion of the Diamond jubilee (60th anniversary) celebrations of the Kerala legislative assembly.

• To boost local production, the government today doubled the Import Duty on as many as 328 textile products to 20%. India’s total textile imports jumped by 16% to a record $7 billion last fiscal, of which $3 billion was from China.

• The government has appointed S Gurumurthy and Satish Marathe as part-time Directors on the Reserve Bank of India board.

• The Indian Women Chess Team clinched the Gold Medal in the Blitz event at the Asian Nations Cup 2018 held in Iran. The team also won silver and bronze in the Rapid and Classical categories, respectively.

• The National Green Tribunal constituted a committee, to be headed by a former Allahabad High Court Judge, for monitoring the rejuvenation project of Ganga from Allahabad to Unnao in UP.

• PayU India announced a strategic partnership with Reliance Money to offer instant app-based personal loans, via LazyPay. It is an attempt to reach out to the underserved consumers in India. The loan will start from as low as Rs 100 and will expand up to Rs 1,00,000 with the duration varying from 15 days to 24 months.

• Amit Sahai, a 43-year-old senior professional from Kolkata has topped the prestigious Intelligence Quotient (IQ) World list along with two other Americans with a score of 148. He has a background in international sales of software, IT, ITes services and high-end audio and engineering products.

• A revised Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) has been signed amongst Govt. of India, NABARD and National Water Development Agency for funding of central share of 99 prioritized irrigation projects under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) through Long Term Irrigation Fund. The MoA will enable the ministry to release central assistance to prioritized projects under PMKSY as per the requirements from time to time.